


Child of the Forest

by Cianscreator



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 15:11:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4965772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cianscreator/pseuds/Cianscreator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This work of Fan Fiction follows the life of Link, a boy left in the Kokiri Forest to be raised by its forest folk under the protection and auspices of The Great Deku Tree. This boy has a great destiny to fulfill, one that represents the only hope for Hyrule's future.</p>
<p>The story is based, somewhat loosely and with a lot of liberties taken, on the Nintendo game, "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time." I've attempted to make its hero, Link, into a character that goes beyond the manipulative limits of the Nintendo controller and those of the game itself. This first book chronicles his life as a somewhat confused but very advanced ten-year-old.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_On Hylia, the largest land-mass is known as Hyrule. From there, its kings have kept watch over the many and varied types of beings populating Hylia. Humans, Fairies, Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, Gerudo, and the Kokiri have all benefitted from the benevolent leadership of these kings, the family of royal guardians chosen by the three Goddesses who created Hylia and all its inhabitants. Each race had its own, unique region; the humans and Hylians lived mostly in and around Hyrule town, the Gorons dwelled on wild Death Mountain, the Zoras in their own watery realm. The Gerudo lived in a desert valley, and the diminutive, peaceful Kokiri spent their entire lives in the Kokiri Forest and its Village. The Great Fairies and their smaller subjects made their home in mystical fountains in, around, and beneath Hylia._

_But among these races were others, creatures who came to Hylia bringing a darkness that was unfamiliar and thus capable of great harm. Of all the peoples of Hylia, one group – the Gerudo – had exactly the right character traits to make possible one who could embody all that was evil. A male child, whose birth among the mainly female race of desert-dwellers was a once-in-a-generation occurrence, would lead them, but never before in a harmful way. Until the coming of one who gave his whole soul to the dark influences of that parallel realm of eternal twilight. That one’s name was Ganondorf._

 

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

 

Disproportionate. That was the only word the boy could think of to describe himself. He didn’t own a looking-glass – only the merchant had one, or claimed he did. No one had ever seen it, except Mido, who everyone knew was a big liar and braggart anyway. So the only references Link had for how he looked were the opinions of the others in the Kokiri Village, and his shadowy reflection in the the Pond. This was a still, clear body of water in the forested area called the Lost Woods.

Located on the outskirts of the village but within the Kokiri Forest, the Woods were a strange place with maze-like paths that would either end in a clearing, or suddenly toss you back out into the village. Naturally, he didn’t feel he could trust what he saw there, since nothing in the Lost Woods was trustworthy anyway. Like the odd-looking individuals who seemed to live within its depths, and who appeared and disappeared without warning or explanation. He had to rely on what people said about him, and little of it was very good.

From what he could both tell and see, he was the same height as the others, but looked too…big. For while those his own age seemed to have stopped growing and were basically younger-looking adults, he still resembled a child. One that was threatening to keep growing, too. That was what was disproportionate. It made no sense.

“Maybe that’s why I don’t have a fairy,” he muttered, brushing dust from the window ledge of his tree cottage.

Everyone else had one of these diminutive companions, which appeared at the moment the Kokiri child took his or her first breath. Not him, though. He’d been considering the question of his shape all morning, but wasn’t sure why. Could have been because of the bizarre dreams he’d been having lately, although honestly, he couldn’t remember any of them clearly enough to describe. Rather like his earlier childhood.

His first sharp memory was of Sheru and Kora, the male and female Kokiri who had raised him. They were teaching him how to walk, and kept saying something about how brave he was for a one-year-old. All of the Kokiri children his age had been able to walk long before their first year, someone had told him – Kora, perhaps. Thinking about this, he suddenly realized something, and finally knew why his appearance had been so bothersome. Frowning, he crossed his arms and made himself concentrate.

When he’d woken up that morning, it had been to the sound of laughter. Several of the children had been playing near the hollow where his tree-cottage sat. Their game, Kiss-the-Fairy, in which the child was blindfolded and had to sense where his or her fairy was and successfully blow it a kiss, was extremely popular. Having no fairy of his own, Link never participated. Their game that morning reminded him sharply of this fact, and as he’d gone about getting ready for the day, had found himself thinking of the various ways in which the omission had affected his life. Which led to the opposite – that something about himself was responsible for the lack of a fairy.

For some reason, his inability to walk properly until he was a little over a year old was tied to all this fairy business. Sheru, a kind-hearted man, had explained to him once that he’d been a little too round to walk well when he was a baby. When Link had asked him what that meant, the man had smiled and ruffled the boy’s wild blond hair, telling him it simply meant Link’s feet were small compared with the rest of him. The other Kokiri children, he now recalled, had frequently tried to get him to stand up, but his legs hadn’t wanted to straighten or something. They’d tugged and pushed, managing at some point to get him upright, but he’d fallen back onto his rump immediately and begun to cry.

That, he now believed, had been the start of all the teasing – funny at first, it gradually became more like taunting, something he sensed more than understood back then, but eventually recognized fully. The taunts had grown meaner every year with the increasing recognition that he was probably never going to have his own fairy. Mido had been the first to say this out loud. It had come out sounding like an accusation, like it was somehow Link’s own fault, and that was when the laughter had become smug giggles and sharp, single syllables of derision.Then one day when he was about five, Mido had smacked him hard enough to make Link’s nose bleed, and the bullying had begun in earnest.

The sound of friendly laughter from somewhere below the window distracted him and he put his head out to look. Saria stood near the base of his tree-cottage, and was talking to another girl. Of all the Kokiri, she was the only one who ever treated him as an equal. She even seemed to like him – more than he was comfortable with, in fact. She happened to glance upward right as he was drawing his head back in, and she waved.

“Link!” She gave him a huge smile and brushed a stray tendril of green hair from her eyes.

He returned the smile, but wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anybody, not even her.

“Come down and join us!”

He considered the invitation, but couldn’t avoid noticing the sour look on the face of Saria’s companion, a girl named Dita. “I’m cleaning,” he called down. “Maybe later.”

Saria put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “You can do that any time, Link! Come on – we want to play Jump-The-Pathstones!”

He nodded. That was one of the few things he was good at – playing. Once he’d mastered walking, and a few other things that involved overall coordination, physical activity had come easily to Link, and he'd eventually grown much, much stronger than any of the others his age, including Mido. Yet another thing that puzzled him. As a Kokiri, he shouldn’t have been that strong. But there it was.

“Well?” Saria was tapping her foot now.

He gave up. “All right. I’ll be down in a moment.”

As he ducked back inside, he barely made out Dita’s muttered complaint about having him along. Great. He shook his head, rinsed his hands in the wash bowl against the wall, wiped them dry on the hem of his tunic, and left the simple, circular room. Once he’d climbed down the ladder from his cottage, he greeted Dita quickly before turning away to give Saria a friendly smile. Behind him, he knew, the other girl was getting ready to make some remark about him not yet having a fairy, her own fluttering like a tiny blue lantern by her shoulder.

“Still no fairy, Link?”

Yup. There it was. They couldn’t resist, any of them. Not even Saria, although when she remarked on it, she did so with genuine concern. He ignored Dita’s question, since an answer would have been both unnecessary and an opportunity for her to carry on about it further.

“How many rupees do you think you’ll earn?” asked Saria, referring to the jewel currency of the Kingdom of Hyrule. She knew the answer, of course – one. The big blue one, worth five of the green gems. Once in a while she’d earn one or two greens, but only Link was known to consistently win the blue.

He shrugged. Another question not worth answering.

“I don’t think I want to play after all,” said Dita a few minutes later. She’d jumped successfully over the gap between the first two pathstones, but totally missed the third, landing with an undignified thud on her stomach, one foot dangling in the water, the other wedged painfully between the two stones. After getting her feet under her again, she limped back over the two gaps, returning to the grass. “I’ll collect my rupee later.” She sat down and sulked.

Link, meanwhile, had made it cleanly to the other side, and a moment later, Saria joined him. “You did it! You got a blue!”

“So I did,” Saria replied, laughing. “You inspired me, I think.”

Link felt himself blush and turned away, clearing his throat. “Ah. Well! Let’s go get our rupees!”

On the other side of the pathstones was The Shop. Its owner, Frega, had a view of the stones from a small side window, so had seen the children’s progress. He was ready with their reward by the time they entered the building.

“I think if you ever fail, Link, I’ll faint dead away.” He held up the blue rupee with a grin on his round face. “Don’t suppose you’d care to buy anything today, eh?”

Like all the adult Kokiri, he seemed fond of Link, although the boy had always sensed a vague condescension in their kind words.

“Not yet.” Link took the rupee, thanking the owner, and tucked it into a pouch hanging from his belt. He’d saved pretty much all of his rupees; the Kokiri rarely needed to buy food, since they each had a personal vegetable patch. They also helped each other build furniture and every Kokiri had been instructed in sewing from early childhood. At the age of eight, a Kokiri child was given a huge supply of green material with which to make his or her own tunics. Water was free and abundant, too, so only the older members of their forest community ever spent the gems on weapons, potions or tools.

Frega took out another blue rupee and handed it over the counter. “And Saria, my dear! Congratulations! Here you go.”

The girl took the gem happily. “I’m going to save this to buy a new ocarina some day.”

“How’s the one you have now? Still working well?”

In reply, she took it from a fold in her dress, put it to her lips, and played a lively Kokiri favorite. The shop owner began tapping his fingers on the counter in time to the music, his head moving rhythmically from side to side as she played.

Link watched, fascinated. Eventually, he told himself, I’ll get the courage to ask if I may try it.

“I’m looking for a sword!”

The children turned. It was Mido, which wasn’t what Link found surprising. Mido was always being loud and interrupting people. But never before had he witnessed him displaying the kind of courage needed to make such a bold request.

“A sword, is it?” Frega raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right. I’ve heard the Deku Tree murmuring about danger, and I thought it might be a good idea to start training with a sword. But since I, Mido, am no ordinary Kokiri, it seems I should have no ordinary sword!” He had puffed his chest out as he spoke, oblivious to how perfectly ridiculous he looked doing it. “What say you, shopkeeper?”

“What I say is that you’re getting a bit carried away with yourself, young man!” Frega looked neither impressed nor amused. Annoyed, yes.

Mido spluttered. He took a step closer. He pulled his money pouch from his belt and waved it at the shop keeper.

“Put that away,” said the man, raising a dismissive hand. “First of all, the only sword available at the moment isn’t available at all! It’s the Kokiri Sword, and as our Great Treasure, it isn’t for sale to anyone, especially not a child!” He didn’t add the words “like you,” but he may as well have. “Furthermore, the only thing you’re capable of carrying right now is a wooden shield, but since you have no sword, there’s no reason for you to have that shield, either!”

“Is that so!” Mido glared.

The shop owner glared back.

Link left. If he hadn’t, everyone would have seen him double over in silent hysterics. Mido was already nasty enough to him without adding to the other boy’s store of excuses for being mean. However, Mido’s self-important behavior was also one of the few things that Link ever found funny enough to laugh hard about. So he went outside, rushed behind the building, and laughed until he couldn’t see through the tears. What a buffoon Mido was! By the time Saria found him, he’d recovered but was still smiling.

“Where did you go?”

“Here.”

“Why?”

“No reason.” He got up from the tree root on which he’d been sitting. “It’s getting late. May I walk you home?”

“I’d like that.” The smile she offered this time was somewhat shy and came with a blush.

Link gulped. He never knew what to do when she behaved like that and was glad she only lived one cottage away – walking further with her than that was suddenly a thing to be avoided. He had no interest in being anything more than a friend, despite the way others of his age had begun showing a tendency to gravitate toward members of the opposite sex. In his opinion, that kind of behavior was weird.

The fact was, Kokiri were not the offspring of one of another, but of their protector and life-giver, the Great Deku Tree. These children of the forest sprouted from the elements of earth, air, water and fire and were brought to life by the Deku’s natural magic. They did pair off as adults, but not to procreate. Only for companionship and to raise newly-alive Kokiri did these unions take place. Their bodies were different from those of most other species in that they had no way to reproduce.

They also never observed one another unclothed, so Link hadn’t been given a reason to question his own anatomy. As a result, he knew nothing about the way or why one Kokiri was attracted to another, so he didn’t understand his inability to feel about Saria the way she clearly felt about him.

When a Kokiri came into being, he or she began as an infant-sized child who was placed into the home of one of the couples. The child stayed with these two through the age of eight, whereupon he or she was given a tree cottage in which to live, to tend and keep clean, until adulthood was reached. Then the Kokiri and his or her chosen companion would work together to build a new, larger one, leaving their former cottages vacant for the younger ones to occupy. It was a very simple cycle, and had worked well for many, many generations for the forest people of Hyrule.

But Link wasn’t thinking about these things at the moment. He was getting hungry and wanted to be alone. He liked doing things by himself, so when he left Saria at her door, he went home and practiced tumbling near the base of his tree-cottage. After a while, he climbed the ladder into his dwelling and ate his supper. He ended up going to bed early – having crazy dreams was making it harder and harder for him to wake up in the mornings, and no one liked a lazy Kokiri. In reality, he wasn’t lazy at all, but sleeping late so frequently certainly made him appear that way.

As he snuggled up on his bed, enjoying the fragrant breeze whispering through the open window beside him, he found himself hoping for a dreamless night. As it turned out, it was a forlorn hope.


	2. Chapter 2

Flames and noise, gigantic four-legged creatures being ridden by strange-looking people, screams, a woman sobbing. Again. Just like the night before, only worse this time. And then something else…something…tiny. What was it? A talking mosquito? Calling him a lazy boy…how odd. How –

He opened his eyes, the dream gone in a quick fade, and sat up, giving his head an abrupt shake to try and clear it. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, but was too short for his feet to touch the floor, and in his post-nightmare stupor, wondered why they made the beds so high up.

“Link!”

He blinked – who _was_ that? Why did the voice sound so small, or maybe far away? And what was that bizarre little light fluttering in front of his eyes? Was he maybe still asleep?

“Wake up, Link!”

He blinked again, pushing himself off the bed, and realized that he was, in fact, awake. He also recognized with considerable shock what he was looking at. A fairy.

“Hurry, Link! The Great Deku Tree wants to see you!”

“Wait – who are you?”

“I’m Navi the Fairy. The Great Deku Tree sent for me and told me to be your companion!”

“Navi?”

“Yes!”

“So…now I have a fairy…” Disconcerted, he went to the wash stand and splashed water on his face.

“Please – there is no time!”

Nothing was making sense. Link gave the fairy a look of utter disbelief. “The Deku Tree sent you? Why? And why now?”

Navi did a kind of dance in midair, her color changing from sunny yellow to angry pink. “That is not for me to tell you, Link. You must come with me right now, but…no, first you must find something important. Without it, you cannot go near the Tree.”

Grabbing a handful of berries from a bowl on the table in the middle of the room, he popped one into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and nodded. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Navi the Fairy. What do I need?”

“Oh, Link, let’s just go! I’ll show you.”

“May I get dressed first?” He was wearing only his sleep tunic (which looked exactly like his regular one but without a belt) and nothing else. No boots. No hat. No…anything else.

“Yes, but dress quickly!”

“You’re very impatient, Navi the Fairy.” He went to a small trunk next to the bed and took out a fresh tunic, undergarments and hat. His boots and belt were on a low table near the door. “Um, could you wait outside?”

Making a high-pitched jingling sound, Navi flew out the door.

“Dang.” He got dressed, ran his hands through the tangle of blond hair he’d never been able to fully manage and tucked it into his hat, then belted the tunic and tugged on his boots. “Okay,” he called.

Navi flitted back inside but stayed near the door. “Let’s go!” She waited for him to reach her, then took her place above his left shoulder.

“I have to be dreaming…” He went out, and was about to start down the ladder when he saw Saria enter the hollow. She waved and ran quickly to the bottom of the tree.

“Link! I hear that a fairy has finally come to you! How wonderful!”

How had she “heard”? he wondered, especially since he was still not sure himself it was true. Had someone made an announcement about it in the middle of the night or something? That was another matter about which he’d spent some time in deep thought. Whenever anything important or of great interest occurred, all the Kokiri seemed to know about it at once. Except him. He’d always found out by hearing the others discussing it. Because he didn’t want to appear any weirder than he was convinced he already was, he’d never admitted his ignorance in such instances, but it bothered him a great deal. And now this.

Saria was still chattering happily as he climbed down. Something about how he was a real Kokiri now. “What are you going to do today?” she ended.

“Well, my…fairy is telling me I have to follow her to find something. I have no idea what.” He shot a sidelong glare toward the tiny being bouncing around next to his left ear.

“Ah, then I suggest you hurry! Fairies rarely lead us places unless the reason is an important one. Good luck, Link, and congratulations!”

“Thanks, Saria.” She really was a good friend, and he appreciated her enthusiasm, even if he could have done with a little less of it so early in the morning.

The Kokiri Village wasn’t very large, but to a little boy it could, at times, seem huge – especially when he was still tired from a night of disturbing dreams. As he bid good-bye to Saria and headed out of the hollow, he felt more like turning around and going back to bed than heading away on some quest for an unknown object. He said nothing to the fairy of either his vague curiosity or his weariness, though; he had a feeling she’d just get impatient with him. Assuming the tiny being was, in fact, a she. He almost stopped to think about this – it had never occurred to him before to wonder about the gender of fairies.

“This way, Link! Up there!”

To the left of the hollow was a rise, topped by a series of fences that led into a more open space. Here it was that the Kokiri went to train with their forest weapons, and here it was that the fairy indicated he should go. He almost pointed out that they were going in the opposite direction from the Meadow where the Great Deku Tree lived, but there seemed to be no point. She apparently had her own ideas of what he needed to do. Who was he to question her? Besides, he told himself as he trudged up the path, he ought to be insanely grateful to have been given a fairy at all.

A Kokiri named Wado was at the far end of the training ground, near one of the cliffs that marked the boundaries of the Kokiri Forest. While he looked younger than the other adults, he’d never been referred to as a child as far as Link knew, and had been there for at least as long as the boy could remember. Wado was twirling a small wooden sword over his head and then bringing it downward in a sideways, whooshing slice, repeating this particular sword maneuver over and over, his face a mask of deep concentration. Either he was unaware, or was purposely ignoring Link’s approach.

At the boy’s shoulder, Navi suddenly grew brighter. “Hey!” she called in her teensy voice.

To the boy’s ear, it sounded strident but not very loud.

To Wado, however, it must have been very loud indeed, for he stopped his exercise, looking startled, and turned toward Link. “What’s this?” He lowered his sword and came closer. “You have a fairy, do you? Thought I’d heard something about that, but didn’t believe it. None of us believed it would ever happen!” He chuckled, putting his head to one side to regard Navi with open curiosity.

This caused Link to wonder once more where someone – anyone – else in the Village would have heard about Navi. But again, he didn’t bother to ask, not so much to avoid admitting his own ignorance, but mainly because he didn’t feel like hearing the sarcastic tone that usually accompanied answers to his many questions. Still, it almost made him angry that what were enigmas to him, were points of common understanding for the other Kokiri. What was wrong with him, anyway?

“What’s that?” Wado was saying, addressing Navi. “He does? Oh! Well, in that case, he’ll need something with which to practice!” He shifted his gaze to Link and smiled. “This is quite an event!”

“What is?”

“Seriously? Link, wake up, boy! Your fairy has told me of you being called by the Great Deku Tree!”

“Oh. Yes, well. That. I have no idea why. I’m no one special.”

Wado narrowed his gaze and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Huh. Maybe you are, Link. Maybe you’re…different for a good reason.”

“Different,” Link repeated, nodding. Disproportionate, strong in ways most other Kokiri weren’t. Yes, “different” was accurate. “Maybe. So what am I supposed to do now?”

Laughing, Wado pointed at a small opening at the base of the cliff. “How many times have I caught you trying to sneak in there, eh?”

“A lot,” Link admitted.

“Well now I give you permission to enter.”

That surprised the boy. “Why now?”

“For one thing, you have a fairy who can guide you once you get to the other side. Without one, you probably wouldn’t make it back out. There’s something dangerous in there, young Link. There’s also a treasure.” He winked, but it was clear this was meant for Navi.

“Oh. All right.” He stared at the opening for a moment before approaching. He’d have to crawl through it, since it was barely half his height, and was suddenly glad that tight spaces didn’t bother him.

“Hurry, Link!”

“Okay.” He went down on all fours, wondering how long the tunnel would turn out to be, and crept forward. At first, he could see very little, and then he couldn’t see at all as the light from the entrance disappeared when he went around a corner. Even Navi’s light was too small to do more than cause confusing shadows. He knew the tunnel would have to eventually end, of course, so he kept going.

After a few more turns, one of which was slightly painful (he’d found it by bumping head-first into the stony dirt wall), he began to see more clearly. A dim light ahead grew steadily, until it resolved into an opening of identical size to the one through which he’d entered. Out of the tunnel at last, he stood and looked around.

Like many areas in the Lost Woods, this seemed to be a place of pathways dug deep into the rise yet open to the sky. Ahead was a high wall of earth and stone. To his right, the path continued a short way before ending in a semi-circular alcove that looked too symmetrical to have occurred naturally. The path also continued to his left but he couldn’t see how far it went.

What he could be sure about was the sound. Something that had to be incredibly huge was rumbling closer, then closer, only to stop, get even louder as it began to rumble once more, stop again, finally rumbling away in a kind of retreat. This pattern repeated several times while Link stood still, determined to figure out the cause before exposing himself to the reality.

After a bit, he was able to picture something round, a boulder or an object like that, rolling along a pre-determined path. He couldn’t imagine what was giving it the momentum to begin rolling again once it had stopped, but the fact that it never came within his range of vision told him there was more than nature at work with this thing. He waited until he heard it retreating, and stepped out onto the crossing path. The rumbling got louder again, and a few seconds later his suspicion was confirmed. A massive boulder that looked like it consisted of equal parts rock and rich, brown earth rolled into view from an adjacent pathway. It rolled toward him, only to stop at the next intersecting path, and then roll away in the other direction that would eventually loop back. This, he presumed, was the “something dangerous” to which Wado had alluded.

“Guess if I follow it, I should be safe, as long as I don’t slow down too much.”

Navi made no reply.

“Right.” He waited until the boulder appeared again and began its retreat, then ran lightly behind it. It turned left, then left again, but at this juncture, Link saw that if he turned right, he’d be in another alcove. An alcove with a huge chest. Aha! At his shoulder, Navi made a jingling noise that he interpreted as approval.

He ran forward into the space and knelt in front of the chest, which was made of wood and didn’t seem to have a lock. He tried lifting the lid, but it was terribly heavy. “Great.” He stood, tried again, and this time, the lid sprang upward, something inside giving forth a nearly blinding light. Eagerly, Link heaved himself up onto the edge and leaned in, reaching for whatever might be there, eyes closing against the illumination. He felt sure that if anything dangerous was in there, Navi would have warned him.

His hands closed over something long on which he could feel the cold facets of gems at one end. He lifted it out and held it up and realized what a good thing it had been that he hadn’t run his hands along the other end of the thing. That might well have cost him his fingers…

“It’s the great Treasure of the Kokiri, Link! The Kokiri Sword!”

He nodded, awestruck. It seemed huge to him, impressive, glittering with several jewels on the hilt. He got the feeling he was committing some kind of crime by even holding it. “I really should put this back, Navi.”

“No, you should not! This was what the Great Deku Tree wanted you to have!”

He frowned. “Really? This? Why, Navi? I’m no-one.”

“You have a destiny, Link.”

Lowering the sword, Link tried to look at her, but her position so close to his left ear made this impossible. “A destiny.”

“Do you always repeat what others say?”

“No. Now what?”

“Now you go back out and learn how to use that thing! Hurry, Link!”

Thinking he’d get tired of hearing “hurry Link” pretty quickly, he nonetheless agreed, but then stopped. “Hold on. Where do I keep this? It won’t fit in my belt.”

“Silly boy! Look in the chest again!”

He did, and found a scabbard which Navi told him would hold the sword at his back.

Good grief, he thought, why didn’t she say so in the first place? After a few minutes of struggle, he managed to put it on. “Like this, then?”

“Like that. Sheath the sword and let’s go!”

With great care, he slid the blade into its holder (cutting himself in half by accident didn’t seem like a terrific way to fulfill whatever destiny he was supposed to have), and waited for the boulder to come by. Getting squashed flat wouldn’t be a very clever move, either.

This time, his crawl through the tunnel was a tad more difficult. The sword kept getting jammed when he turned corners, and his eyes were still somewhat dazzled by the inexplicable light in the chest. Finally, though, he made it out. Relieved, he stood and brushed dirt from his knees and hands.

Wado was waiting, arms crossed, and when he saw what Link carried, his face split into a big smile. “You got it! Not many Kokiri have ever even _seen_ that sword, much less carried it, Link! Congratulations!”

“Um…thank you, Wado. So what do I do now?”

The next two hours were spent learning that there was a whole lot more to using a sword than simply swinging it around. Wado taught him how to target his enemy, what thrusts, parries and slashing attacks to use based on what he was fighting, how to use it to block objects, and many other techniques. When the lesson ended, he admonished the boy to practice on inanimate things, like the grass and shrubbery.

“I’m going to use the Kokiri Sword to mow the grass?” That somehow didn’t sound right to Link, shifting his shoulders against the ache of moving them in such an unusual way.

“Oh, for…you’re far too serious for one so young.” Wado shook his head and sighed. “Always were, too. Learn to relax, boy. Enjoy that sword, get to know it well. If mowing the grass, as you put it, helps you, it’s a worthwhile exercise, is it not?”

“I suppose.”

“Well, I don’t suppose – I know.” Wado patted Link on the back. “All right – off you go. If you need further advice that goes beyond simple swordplay, go talk to the Know-It-Alls.”

He was referring to the brothers whose vast understanding of life and everything in it had earned them a nickname that had eventually overshadowed their real ones. By now, no one could remember what they’d originally been called, and since they didn’t seem to mind, “The Know-It-All Brothers” stuck. Link had spent many an afternoon plying them with questions, like why, if the Kokiri never aged, the village wasn’t overpopulated by now. Like why someone as obnoxious as Mido was allowed to guard the entrance to the Meadow. Like why he didn’t get a fairy when everyone else did – they claimed to be stumped about that one, but something about the way they exchanged glances told him this wasn’t necessarily true.

Unlike most others in the Village who reacted to Link’s questions with scorn, the Brothers were pleasant, and their answers always gave Link more to think about while satisfying his curiosity at the same time. What secretly pleased him, though, was that while the two invariably sounded somewhat haughty, bored, arrogant, or all three when answering questions posed by the other Kokiri children, they’d never sounded anything but kind when speaking with him.

“Link! You might want to talk to them,” Navi suggested as they were walking out of the practice grounds.

“About what?” He was eyeing a wooden sign that unnecessarily pointed the way to Wado. Was the Kokiri Sword strong and sharp enough to cut those boards? He took aim…

“Link! What are you doing? Come on!”

Yes, she was beginning to annoy him. “All right.” He sheathed the Sword again and headed for the large tree-cottage several yards past the last fence.

The Know-It-Alls welcomed him with their usual kind smiles and congratulated him about his fairy. After thanking them, Link asked them for advice, telling them he had no idea what he was supposed to do or why he was doing any of this. As he was leaving their cottage a short while later, Link told himself it was interesting that the only advice the Brothers had to offer was that he get himself a Kokiri shield from Frega’s Shop. They didn’t seem at all surprised that he had the Sword, and for some reason, he found that fact flat-out irritating.

“So now we go the Shop.”

“Yes, Navi. We go to the Shop and I can make old Frega happy by handing him back some of those rupees he’s been giving me for winning the Pathstone game.” He’d always known that the shop owner awarded the rupees so young Kokiri could use them later in life to buy things from him. “And I have a feeling he won’t be at all surprised that I have the Sword or need a shield.”

Navi jingled quietly, but said nothing, and he sensed this was her version of a giggle. His natural reaction to this would have been a scowl, only this time, he remembered Wado’s advice to lighten his mood. So he forced himself to relax, and despite sore arm and shoulder muscles, admonished himself to see that the situation was amusing.

Right.


	3. Chapter 3

As expected, Frega wasn’t surprised to see Link or his new companion. In fact, he already had a shield out and sitting on the counter when they entered the shop. He gave the boy a huge smile, put out a hand, and said, “Forty rupees, please.”

Forty. Link was sure he had at least that much, probably much more, but not with him. “Hold on.”

He rushed out and back to his tree-cottage, took eight blue rupees from his storage chest, cramming them quickly into his pouch, and returned to the shop at top speed. He almost asked Navi if he was hurrying fast enough, but decided not to be rude.

“Here.” He swallowed hard, then took several deep, panting breaths as he removed the rupees and gave them to the shopkeeper.

“And here’s your shield. Use it wisely, Link.” Frega winked at him, his smile different in a way the boy couldn’t explain.

“Thank you.” Another few gulps of air, and he began to catch his breath. “Okay.”

“I hear you’ve been summoned by the Great Deku Tree – that’s a rare honor, my boy. Ever been in his presence before?”

“Not that I can remember.” And how did you know?!

“Ah. You’re in for quite an experience, then. It also does my heart good to see you with a fairy at last.”

Link simply nodded, unable to come up with what he thought would be an appropriate response.

“Well! Off you go, then!”

Link left the shop, but not before hearing Frega muttering something about Mido being put in his place.

_Sure, Frega – like that would ever happen_. “Navi, if whatever the Great Deku Tree wants to see me about involves me using a sword and shield, shouldn’t I get some lunch first? I’m getting a little hungry – it’s been a busy morning.”

“Oh! I forgot you need to eat. Sorry, Link. Of course! But hurry!”

“Of course.” With a sigh, he headed back home.

Several of the Kokiri were outside now, some of them tending their gardens, others shaking out the cloth-like rugs that covered their floors. A few gave the boy an interested look, one even waved.

A boy named Queedi was busy working in front of Mido’s house, tugging furiously at a rock. “Link! Hey! Come here for a moment, will you?”

Curious, Link approached. “What do you need, Queedi?”

“The Boss wants me to clear these out of his yard, but I can’t seem to pick them up very well. Can you give me a hand?”

“The Boss. You mean Mido.” Link snorted. “Boss, my butt.”

“Ooh, you’d better not let him hear you say that, Link!”

“Why? What’s he going to do? Punch me in the nose again?” He leaned down, grabbed the rock, and lifted it easily. “Where are you supposed to put this?”

“Wow, you’re so strong…um, I don’t – hey! Is that – do you have – I mean, that’s a shield, right? And, and a sword! Link! That’s the Kokiri Sword! How – ”

Rolling his eyes, Link confirmed everything and tossed the rock toward the side of the cottage. Unlike his, this cottage had an entrance at ground-level, and wasn’t very high.

“And you have a fairy! I heard about that, you know!”

“Seems everyone has,” murmured the boy, hefting another rock. By the time he was done, he’d made a neat pile against the side of the cottage, had become unbearably hungry, and was on the verge of strangling Queedi. One more silly question –

“Link! We really need to get going!”

“Yes, Navi.” He turned to the over-enthusiastic orange-haired Kokiri. “Gotta go, Queedi. See you later.”

“Sure, Link! Hey, thanks for the help! I never could have done that myself, you know.”

Nodding, Link gave him a crooked smile and continued toward home, determined not to stop until he got there.

“Oooh! Link! You have a fairy! And the Great Deku Tree wants to see you, too? Wow! What an amazing thing!”

“Thanks, Dita.” _I thought you hated me_.

“Now that you have a fairy, I guess you can play more games with us!”

“I guess so.” _Leave me alone. I’m hungry._

“See you later, then!”

_Why?_ “Sure.” This time, he took off at a determined trot and made it the rest of the way without further interference.

Sitting on his bed, his back against the wall next to the window, he enjoyed a bigger meal than usual. Crawling through holes, learning how to use a sword, hauling rocks, all these things had given him a massive appetite. When he was done, he drained a few cups of cool water, then leaned back and closed his eyes. It felt so nice…

“Link!”

Dang. “What is it, Navi.”

"Open your eyes, Link!”

“Why? Is there something dangerous in my house?”

“What?”

He grinned and lifted his lids halfway to find the fairy hovering perfectly still in front of his face, her glow somewhat whitish-bluish-yellow. Was that what confusion looked like? he wondered. “Never mind. You know what? I think I should bring some food with me. Something tells me my afternoon is going to be a long one.”

“You’re a very strange boy, Link.”

He almost laughed. “All right – I’m getting up now.”

Shoving himself off the bed, he picked up his bowl and cup, washed them in the wooden bucket set beside the front door for that purpose, put them away, and shoved some food into his pouch.

“Are you ready to go, Link?”

“Yes…no…you know, I’m kinda tired. If I have to talk to the Great Deku Tree, shouldn’t I be wide awake and alert?”

“Yes, Link. And not lazy.”

“I’m not lazy.”

“You act like you are.”

“No, I just can’t seem to get enough sleep. I’m always having nightmares, and when I wake up, I feel like I haven’t slept at all. That’s not the same as being lazy.”

Navi seemed to consider this for a few seconds. “Well, all right. Maybe you aren’t lazy. But we’re expected to go see the Great Deku Tree as soon as possible, you know!”

“Yes. As soon as possible. What if today isn’t, er, possible? I mean, what do I need a sword and shield for, Navi? I really doubt the Great Deku Tree is going to draw my portrait and wants me to look…brave or something. I don’t know anyone who has ever really needed these things, come to think of it.” He frowned.

“But surely you’ve heard stories about great warriors and kings and battles, haven’t you?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

More silence. Link went back to his bed and climbed up, sitting once more with his back to the wall. “Why don’t you tell me about some of that?”

“But – ”

“Wait – Navi, please don’t be annoyed with me for asking, but are you a girl or a boy?”

“I’m a girl, Link. Most fairies are. The boy fairies are usually more of a golden color, unless they’re angry. Then they turn golden-red.”

“What if they’re, um, amused?”

“Golden-yellow.”

“Excited?”

“Golden-blue.”

“Helpful?”

“Golden-green. Can we go now?”

Link put his head back and closed his eyes again. “I’m really tired, Navi. If I’m really tired, I probably won’t be very good with that sword.” The Sword was currently leaning against the adjacent wall in its scabbard, the shield next to it.

“Oh, Link.”

“And I have to pee.” He got off the bed suddenly and went outside. For once, Navi didn’t join him. When he came back in, he went back to the bed, and this time he stretched out, curled up on his side, and went to sleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Poor little boy,” Navi whispered. “Better go tell the Deku Tree. Or…hmm. No, I’m Link’s fairy for now, and should stay with him.”

She flitted about the room, her movements more restless than purposeful. After a while, the little creature came to rest on the window sill. “I have to remember how fragile he is,” she muttered.

A fly buzzed in and alighted next to her, giving her a quizzical look. Navi patted its head absently as she continued to ponder the sleeping boy. A short time later, the insect flew off, the world outside the window grew darker, and eventually the moon came up. Still the fairy sat, keeping vigil over her new charge. She didn’t need sleep, so spent her time thinking about all she’d learned about Link that day.

By the time the sun arose, she’d come to the conclusion that he was exactly the right choice for the destiny laid upon him. The Hero of Time. Yes. He could – no, he _would_ fulfill that one day, and she’d be there with him every moment until his work on behalf of the Land of Hylia and the Kingdom of Hyrule was complete.


	4. Chapter 4

Mido was pacing. The opening to the Meadow yawned beyond his small form, making him look even less important than usual. Clearly, his behavior was not the result of boredom or restlessness. Self-importance was the actual cause, and Link often wondered how the other boy managed to maintain that attitude so consistently, even when no one seemed to be there to watch him.

Despite Mido’s absorption with how amazing he believed himself to be, he still had to follow the rules, and the rules said that if a Kokiri had a good reason and the right equipment to enter the Meadow, no one – not even little Mido – had the right to prevent that from happening. Link knew this but still didn’t look forward to the confrontation, especially not first thing in the morning.

When Link was only a few feet away, Mido suddenly stopped and spun on one foot to face him. “Ha! And where do you think _you’re_ going?”

“Uh, to see The Great Deku Tree.”  _As if you didn't know..._

Mido shook a finger in Link’s face. “Oh, no you don’t. Not without the proper equipment!”

“But – ”

“You need a sword!”

“But – ”

“And a proper shield!”

“But – ”

“Now go away!”

This was crazy. “No. I have what I need. Look.” He drew the Sword from behind his back and held up the wooden shield. “See? Now please get out of the way.”

Mido crossed his arms, tapped one foot angrily, and thrust his face closer. “How is it that you get to use that Sword?! Huh? How? While I, the great Mido, don’t even own a sword yet! Answer that one!”

_Because you’re a dolt._ “I can’t. Please move.”

The “great” Mido began muttering furiously about “fairy boys” and the lack of justice in the world. While he was doing this, Navi and Mido’s own fairy twinkled at each other, and Link suspected they were finding all of this highly amusing.

“I have to get through,” said Link, not amused even a little.

“Do you! Have you got any idea how to use that Sword? There are dangerous things between here and the Meadow, you know.”

“Yes. Don’t make me use it to get past you.”

That got Mido’s attention. In fact, it actually drew a look of respect, and the bully stepped aside.

Well! thought Link. Who would have thought...

“Hurry!” Navi said unnecessarily.

He went past the other boy and into the tunnel-like opening. Several feet along, it turned to the left. Link was about to sheathe the Sword, when something sprang up in front of him and became a huge plant of some kind that shook in a weird, rather menacing way, its stalk twice Link’s height with a dark flower on the top. Link jumped backward.

“Cut it down!” Navi shrieked.

Eyes wide, heart beating crazily, he forced himself to remember what Wado had taught him about targeting an enemy, what defensive swing to use, how to turn it into an offensive attack. Okay…he lunged, swung the Sword with all his might once, twice, then the final downward stroke – the severed stem of the nightmarish flower clattered to the ground.

“Pick it up, Link! It’s a Deku Stick!”

“Is it safe to do that?” What was a deku stick? And where had this crazy thing come from? He’d never seen one before, not even during his forays into the Lost Woods…

“I wouldn’t tell you to pick it up otherwise, silly boy!”

“Oh. Of course.” He bent over and hefted it. For something that was as tall as he, it was surprisingly light. He slid it into the sheath at his back, not sure what else to do with it, and continued walking. By the time the pathway opened into the wide Meadow, he’d fought and defeated two more of the bizarre plants and doubted he’d be able now to fit the sword into the sheath alongside his new stick collection. Not that any of that mattered. He stopped, staring open-mouthed at what dominated the center of the Meadow.

The Great Deku Tree. Nothing Link had ever seen came close to the size and magnificence of this creature. He estimated that close to half of the buildings in the Kokiri Village could fit inside. As he stared up at the Tree, he began to recognized face-like features.

Of course! he told himself. This was no ordinary tree, after all, but the Father of the Forest. It would have to have a face! And then the features moved as what was clearly its mouth opened, and it began to speak.

“Ah, Navi,” said a voice that was booming yet like a zephyr at the same time, “you have brought him!”

“Yes, Great Deku Tree. This is Link.”

“Link.”

The solemnity with which the Tree spoke his name was so unnerving, Link’s knees gave out and he sat suddenly, unable to make a sound.

The Tree seemed to sigh as it continued, its words spoken in the formal way of the Ancients. “Welcome, boy. Listen carefully, now, to what I, the Deku Tree, must tell thee.” He stopped, almost as if gathering more energy from somewhere within his being. His next words shocked the boy with their accuracy. “Thy slumber during these past several moons must have been restless and full of nightmares.”

Link almost voiced a confirmation of that, but quickly decided to remain quiet.

“The servants of evil are gaining strength, boy,” the Tree went on, “and as they do, a vile climate pervades the land, causing nightmares to those who are sensitive to it. Verily, thou has felt these things, Link!”

Link swallowed hard, nodding.

“Thus has the time come to test thy courage. I have…been cursed. I – I need you to break the curse with your special wisdom and courage. Dost thou believe thou possesseth enough courage to undertake the task I have set thee?”

In the thick silence that followed that question, something began to awaken within Link’s heart. Something that told him it took courage to accept being different from others, and wisdom to live that way without becoming bitter. In that moment, he knew he could no longer pretend not to understand and accept that he must, indeed, have a destiny, a purpose beyond being a Kokiri, and that this was most likely the reason he’d never felt content with a future that held nothing more than finding a companion and raising children. A mature thought indeed for a mere ten-year-old, but not that unusual for one raised by the Kokiri.

As he sat staring into the ancient face of the Tree, he realized that it no longer mattered why he was different, only that he was. Very well, then, he told himself, and pushed to his feet. “Yes, Great Deku Tree. I do.”

Another, greater, sigh escaped the gigantic being, followed by a kind of sliding sound as the mouth began opening wider, then wider still, until it had become a gigantic doorway into the tree’s center. Something within that place waited for Link, something he would have to meet, fight, defeat, and thereby break the curse of which the Tree had spoken. No wonder he needed the Kokiri Sword! And here he’d been thinking its only purpose had been to get him past those obnoxious plants!

“Hurry, Link!”

Too awed by what had just occurred to be bothered by the fairy’s oft-repeated phrase, he took a firmer grip on the Sword, threw back his young shoulders, and with trembling bravery, entered the Tree. _I can do this…I’m a child of the Forest, and this is part of it – the Father of it. I’ve been given the task because something as powerful as the Great Deku Tree believes I can do it._ Link swallowed hard, wishing he believed in himself half as much.

The first thing that occurred to him was that the inside of the tree was nothing like what he was expecting. Actually, he couldn’t have said _what_ he’d been expecting, but it certainly was not what he found. The Tree had a central chamber. Ramps wound around its walls, some of these walls covered with the kind of vines with which he’d grown familiar and knew he could climb. A ladder much like the one leading up to his tree-cottage had been attached to a curved wall on his left.

Did something, some _things_ live in here? He’d seen trees felled and not even the largest ones had been hollow like this, much less have structural features like ladders and ramps. In the very center was a circular opening in the ground covered by some kind of netting. He stepped closer and poked it with his sword, causing it to move a little, but then it bounced back. What was this? He poked it again, this time feeling resistance as whatever it was made of stuck to the tip of the sword until he pulled the weapon free. Like tree sap, maybe, or…no. More like a spider web of mind-boggling scope.

Link really hated spiders. He didn’t know why – they weren’t big enough to pose a threat, and the way they would scurry off when he got near told him they were justifiably more in fear of _him._ This web, however, if that was what it was, represented a creature of such great size, the mere idea of it almost propelled him back outside.

No, he told himself. You can’t fail only a few minutes after starting! Grow up! He looked down at himself and nearly laughed at that last command. Well, he decided, I’ll avoid the web, then. That’s all. Okay – what else is here?

A quick trip around the perimeter introduced him to a new, more deadly variety of plant that had a huge head, a long, pointy tongue, and a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. The thing snapped viciously at him when he got too close. It took all of that courage he’d been trying to convince himself he had to go after it, using several of the sword techniques he’d learned from Wado. Upon destroying it at last, he found himself staring down at a large seed.

“Navi? What is this?”

“A Deku Nut. You use it as a weapon.”

“How? Do I throw it at the enemy or something?”

“Yes! You should gather as many as you can!”

He put it in his pouch, took a few steps, and another of the angry plants popped up. This one actually snarled at him. He swung his sword, barely avoiding the thing’s fangs, and after a few swipes, decapitated it. “Now I have two,” he muttered.

Three Deku Nuts later, he came to the ladder, and started upward. “Navi, will anything attack me when I get to the top?”

“Just be watchful, Link. There are many things here that can cause harm!”

Great, he thought, and wondered if all fairies were cryptic by nature. All he wanted was a simple answer…

A few green plants grew at the top of the ledge where the ladder brought him. He looked forward and saw nothing more threatening than two rather wide gaps, one on either side of a kind of outcropping between the part of the ramp he was on and the next section of ramp. He knew he could jump the gaps easily; they were only a fraction wider than the space between the pathstones near The Shop. In fact, the only thing bothering him at the moment was an inexplicable scratching sound coming from somewhere up ahead.

That morning as he and Navi were heading toward to the Meadow, they’d stopped at the Shop at Navi’s insistence so Frega could show Link how to secure the shield to a hook-like projection on the scabbard’s strap just behind the back of his neck. He attached it now to give himself better balance for the jump, sheathed the Sword, and ran. He made it safely to the outcropping, so kept going, jumping again a few steps later. This part of the ramp was longer, at least. The scratching sound, however, was even closer now.

He looked at the wall beside him which was covered with vines, detecting some sort of movement. The light here was more ambient than bright, and he couldn’t quite make out details of what he saw. Frowning, he walked ahead, but was so intent on figuring out what the things were (there were three of them, from what he could see) that he almost crashed into a large wooden chest.

“Look out, Link!”

The boy stopped mere inches from the side of the chest. It was the same size as the one that had held the Kokiri Sword. Bumping into it would have been a painful experience, and he thanked her, meaning it. Coming around to the front, he gripped the edge of the lid, and pulled up. This one opened more easily, but had the same bright light inside. “What’s shining like that?” he asked.

“The magic of Hyrule – the mana of Hylia! Quick, get what’s inside!”

“Oh.” He knew what she meant, sort of. Again, he had to haul himself up onto the edge and reach down with both hands. This time, there was no weapon, no treasure of any kind. No, it was a scroll of dark parchment that crackled when he unrolled it. “A map? A map of what?” He turned it upside-down, then sideways, trying to make sense of the lines and pictures inked across its surface. The Know-It-Alls had once shown him a map, and then, as now, he had been unsure about how to hold it.

“Of the Deku Tree, of course!

“Are you being impatient with me, Navi?”

Silence. Then, “Sorry, Link. But look! You will know which way to go now!”

“Hmm.” He nodded, almost wishing he had a fly-swatter. He needed a fairy…why? “Okay…ah. Now I see. I’m right here.” He pointed at a spot that seemed to indicate the ramp and the chest. “Which way should – what _is_ that noise?” The scratching was beginning to irritate him and he rolled up the map, shoved it into his belt, and peered around in the semi-gloom.

“Wall-tulas.”

“Um, what?

Navi repeated herself.

“Okay. And what, exactly, does that mean?”

The fairy flitted away from her post by his left ear and shot up the wall. Her small luminescence was exactly enough to illuminate what he’d been seeing only as a flickering shadow.

“Oh. Dang.” Not only was this thing a kind of spider, it was huge. Its body was shaped like a skull, and it was rotating on the wall. Nothing creepy going on with that… “Guess I won’t be climbing those vines any time soon.” He shuddered and turned away.

“Link!”

He jumped, not having realized she’d returned, his mind still on the Wall-whatevers. “What is it, Navi?”

“There are four of them!”

_May I go home now?_ “I see.” Actually, he didn’t, nor did he want to. Four? Three would have been bad enough. He kept moving along the ramp, and soon came to a recessed doorway on his left.

“Listen, Link!”

“What is it, Navi?”

“When you want to open a door, I do believe you need only get close to it, and it will open all by itself!”

“Thank you, Navi.” _Because I never would have figured that out myself when I got to it, eh?_ He bit his tongue and stepped closer to the door. It slid up into a hidden pocket, allowing him access. He rushed in, praying there weren’t any spiders inside, but a second later, found himself dealing with new problems.

He was in a circular room-like area, and while there were no spiders that he could see, metallic bars had slid down in front of the door, locking him in, another set secured a door on the far side of the area, and something leafy with a face had popped up from the ground. Not a plant, exactly, but not a person.

“That’s a Deku Scrub!” Navi informed him in an exaggerated whisper.

“Is it dangerous?”

“It can be. It shoots Deku Nuts through its snout!”

Since he had almost been struck by one a second before Navi said this, he simply nodded and unslung his shield. Ploomp! Thunk! The first sound was that of the creature shooting, the second that of the Deku Nut striking the shield. After fending off a few more of these, Link noticed that he could control the direction in which he deflected the projectile. He planted his feet farther apart and crouched a bit lower. The Scrub looked to be the same height as Link, so he was able to approximate where to aim in order to make the Nut strike the creature’s mid-section.

He shifted slightly to the left and – there! The Scrub emitted a squeak that seemed to contain as much outrage as it did pain, and began hopping backward. Link followed, raising his Sword, determined to make sure the animated shrubbery didn’t bother him again. When Link got within striking distance, the creature stopped and began to tremble.

“Wait! Spare me, little master! Spare me, and I’ll tell you something you can use to survive in here!”

It could talk?! “Why should I spare you? You attacked me!”

“I always attack when something I don’t know comes through that door. There are so many enemies in here these days!” It made a face that almost looked…cute.

“You’re weird,” Link muttered, but lowered his weapon. “Very well, then. What can you tell me?”

“Ah! There are many ledges and such here, and you may need to jump from them!”

Link nodded. “Thank you, but I probably could have figured that out myself.”

“Yes, but did you know that there is a way to do that from the higher places without getting hurt?”

“There is?”

“Oh, yes! When you near the ground, tuck your head in by your knees and roll as you land!”

It sounded awkward. “I’ll try it. Thank you. May I continue now without getting shot with a Deku Nut?”

“Yes, little master!”

Link frowned at the title, but before he had a chance to ask the Scrub why it was calling him that, it sank back into the ground. “That was very strange, Navi.”

“It was?”

He rolled his eyes and moved forward – as soon as the Scrub disappeared, the bars had slid back up into the ceiling, unblocking both doors. He went to the one on the other side, and like the first, this opened when he was close enough. As soon as he was inside, he noticed a large, stone-like platform suspended somehow over open space in the middle of the chamber. “Er, Navi – ?”

“Look, Link! There’s a platform in front of you!”

“Thank you, Navi.” _Yes, thank you for pointing that out. I’m blind, deaf, and dumb, after all, and would never have seen it._ He bit his lip and put away the Sword and shield, readying himself. The distance between the edge and the platform looked manageable, so he took a deep breath and leaped. The second he landed on its surface, the thing began to move forward. It also began shaking in a most alarming way, and as soon as he could, he jumped off, grabbing the top of the wall on the other side and pulling himself up.

Immediately turning back to peer over the edge, he noticed two things. One, the platform had dropped straight down, shattered, and lay in chunks on the ground. Two, the ground itself wasn’t nearly as far below him as he’d feared, which made him feel a little better. He backed away from the edge and turned to face the alcove in which he'd pulled himself.

Another large chest and not a spider in sight. Nice. He hefted the lid, pulled himself halfway onto the edge and leaned in. What he took out of this one actually made him smile. A sling-shot. He knew a lot about those, having made more than one in his short life. He’d taught himself to use them with pretty deadly accuracy, if he did say so himself. And he did.

“Look, Navi!” Oh, good heavens, he was starting to sound like her, now!

“What is it Link?” And _she_ was beginning to sound…

“A sling-shot!”

“I know. A fairy sling-shot, in fact. I thought you had something else you wanted to say.”

“No.” He began looking around for small stones or some object like that which he could use for ammunition.

“Cut some grass, Link! Deku seeds sometimes hide in it!”

He was impressed – she’d figured out what he was thinking! “Are they anything like Deku nuts?”

“No, they’re much smaller and don’t pop when they hit something. They act more like super-hard pebbles.”

He went to the nearest patch and swished the blade over it. Sure enough, a handful of round, golden-brown objects tumbled onto the grass. He picked them and shoved them into another small bag he had at his waist. “So now what, Navi? How do I get out of here again?”

Without the stone platform to carry him back to the side with the door, he would be stuck here, and he really hoped she had a solution. She did. With a jingle, Navi zoomed away from him, across to the other side of the chamber and up, where she promptly began to glow bright green.

His eyes followed her and he noticed for the first time that a wooden ladder had been suspended over the door. If he was right about the way it was hanging there, it should, if dislodged, land on the recessed floor and provide a way back up to the door. But how to reach it…ah! It didn’t seem to be secured very well, so he fitted a Deku seed into the slingshot and took aim.

Zing! Whack! And down came the ladder, landing exactly where he thought it would. He clambered over the side of the ledge, then dropped to the ground below, landing easily on his feet.

“Hurry, Link! There’s got to be lots more to do before the curse is broken!”

I expect there is, thought Link. He crossed the remaining distance to the foot of the ladder and climbed.


	5. Chapter 5

Link’s next big challenge involved direct dealings with the giant spiders scratching among the vines above him; he was beginning to loathe the creatures with a passion that bordered on fanaticism. Never, in his entire spider-hating life, had he felt such deep dislike for the arachnoid race. Then again, never had he encountered any this large before. The ones that occasionally explored the corners of his tree-cottage seemed in retrospect almost adorable. Well, not quite, but still nothing like –

“Link! Listen!”

“What is it Navi?”

“You can’t stand there staring at the ‘tulas all day! We have much more to do, remember?”

He nodded. After leaving the room where he’d gotten his sling-shot, he had followed the ramp to its end. Finding nothing else of interest, he’d concluded that the only way left to go was up. So he’d returned to the beginning of the ramp where the vines would provide a means for climbing. Which meant dealing with Wall-tulas near the chest that had contained the map. Despite Navi’s urging, he continued to stare up at the spindly-legged things as he considered the situation.

He didn’t think he’d have a problem hitting them with the help of the sling shot. No, that wasn’t what was worrying him, or what had spurred his mental side-road about all things spidery. The problem was actually rather basic – what would happen if he knocked one down? Would it land on him? Would it be dead? Would it fall in front of him and still be alive? And should that be the case, would it then come after him?

“Link!”

“Navi!”

“Hurry, Link!”

_Shut up, Navi!_ “Okay.” He took aim at the nearest 'tula after backing away a bit further. Zing! Whack! Thud-thud-thud. Silence…poof! Link felt a little overwhelmed by the the chain of sounds echoing around him. The triple thudding one was the Wall-tula hitting the ramp on its back and bouncing a few times. But then it laid still, and a moment later, disintegrated in a big yellow puff of light. There was no other way to describe it, really, even if “puff of light” made no sense in any other context. At least there was no question about it being dead.

He stepped closer and saw a green rupee sparkling on the floor where the ‘tula had been. Cool. He picked it up and pocketed it, then stepped away to take aim at the next beastie. Within moments, the last three were dispatched, each leaving a green rupee behind. That part was okay, as long as he didn’t think too hard about where the massive bugs might have been keeping these gems.

“Here I go, Navi. How far up is the next level? I can’t see any access from here.”

“Climb, Link. You’ll know when you get there.”

_How helpful._ “Okay.” Grabbing the first ropy tendril, he began to pull himself upward. This part was easy. Before very long he’d gotten as far as he could go, the vines having come to an abrupt stop. From what he could see, the only way to go now was sideways.

“Link! Climb sideways!”

_So glad you thought of that Navi…_ He nodded and clambered to his right, and a few seconds later, saw the vines had ended again. Before Navi could give him any more unnecessary instructions, he began heading back down. To his delight, his feet met a hard surface not very long after this, and he leapt lightly from the wall.

He was on a curving wooden ramp that ran parallel with the one below. A rather uncomfortable difference between this and the lower ramp inspired him to move more quickly – while the edges of the previous level’s walkway had been exposed to the ground far below, this one was fenced along its edges by the thick, nasty webbing that covered the hole in the floor of the main room.

Okay! he thought with false cheer. Now to see what fun things I can find up here! He’d tucked the slingshot into his belt before starting his climb, but now yanked it out again, convinced that any enemies that might be lurking about would probably attack without warning.

“I’m getting hungry, Navi,” he announced a while later, having dealt with more Wall-tulas and a new version, the Gold-Skulltula, not to mention a bevy of giant ones that dangled at him from their thick web strands. He’d also collected a number of golden medallions, which in reality were what the Gold ‘tulas turned into when slain. After killing his first one, he’d watched from a safe distance as it collapsed into itself until its entire being was the size of a skull-shaped medallion that would probably fit very nicely in a pocket.

The question was, did he actually want an imploded spider corpse in his pocket?

“You should collect those, Link!” Navi had told him.

Well, that answered it. “Okay.” Unable to keep from grimacing, he’d picked it up with two fingers and shoved it into one of the pockets of his tunic. “Blah!” He’d shuddered again. “Do they stay like that, or can they open up to their normal size at some point?”

Navi had giggled. “Oh, Link! You’re so funny! That’s like asking if a berry can unsquish after you step on it!”

By this time, he had collected enough rupees to finish filling the small leather bag, enough Deku-seeds to keep his slingshot useful for quite a while, and several more Deku Nuts. Further, he’d found a compass that Navi had taught him to use in conjunction with the map. He was also slightly injured from a run-in with one of the giant ‘tulas, which had knocked him flat after stinging him on his left leg. The pain wasn’t debilitating, but it made the idea of more climbing unattractive.

He'd gone to one of the wooden projections that jutted out over the center of the Tree’s main chamber and sat. Link had never had a problem with heights, and was enjoying his bird’s-eye view of the circular web far below.

“Did you bring food with you, Link?”

“I did. And I’m going to take a few minutes to eat it, if you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind. But don’t take too long.”

Link sighed and opened the third bag he had on his belt, the one in which he’d put a small store of edible nuts, a piece of fruit, and a slice of the bread he’d made two days earlier. It wasn’t much, but Link had never been a big eater so it hadn’t occurred to him to bring more than that. Besides, when he’d left that morning, he hadn’t realized this adventure would keep him away from home for so long.

“How are you feeling, Link?” Navi was hovering over the boy’s leg.

His skin was badly bruised and purplish where he’d been stung. “I’m fine, Navi. It doesn’t hurt as much now.”

“When you finish eating, I can show you something that will help.”

He nodded, took a bite of the fruit, and leaned back on one elbow to finish his meal. Putting something in his stomach had definitely been a good idea – his energy level had been waning, but now he was starting to feel stronger again. When he was done a few minutes later, he stood.

“See this grass?” Navi had flown to one of the patches of long-bladed greenery nearby.

“Yes.”

“Cut it with your sword, Link, and pick up the blades.”

_How odd…_ “All right.” He complied, then said, “Now what?”

“Lay them over your wound.”

He did, and instantly experienced a lessening of his discomfort. “Wow! I didn’t know grass could do that!”

“Cut another piece, Link, and chew on it.”

It tasted awful, but Link found himself filled with almost euphoric surge of vitality, and his leg stopped hurting altogether. Astonished, he looked down and saw no trace of the injury whatsoever. “That – that’s amazing, Navi!”

She twinkled at him, and then flew to the edge of the wooden projection. “That’s great, Link! Now you are ready to jump!”

“Wait, what?” His joy turned to horror. Was she joking?

“Jump, Link! It’s the only way to break through the web down there!”

She wasn’t joking. “Navi, I…”

“Didn’t you tell the Great Deku Tree you had the courage it would take to break the curse?”

“Yeah, the curse – not my neck. He also mentioned something about wisdom, if you remember.”

“The wisdom to know when doing something uncomfortable is the right thing, Link.”

_Crap_. “You’re sure about this, are you?”

“I am. The enemy at the heart of all this evil has yet to be dealt with, Link. And you won’t find it up here.”

Of course not. That would be too easy. Too sensible. Too…crap. “I see.” He nodded, putting away his things and making sure his weapons were secure. “If I die, Navi - ”

“You won’t die, Link. You have a destiny! Now jump!”

Easy for _you_ to say, he thought. You have wings! He backed up, eyeing the edge of the platform. He’d have to jump far enough to clear it…With a loud yell of surrender, he ran forward, leaped, and keeping his body straight, plummeted feet-first toward the thick, white web. He was still yelling when he hit the water at the bottom of what had turned out to be a very deep shaft. Upon sinking to the bottom, Link pushed upward with arms and legs, and broke the surface, spluttering and coughing.

The water wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t icy cold, either; he swam to the side and pulled himself onto dry ground, then sat for a moment to catch his breath.

“You did it, Link!”

He nodded and looked up. The circle of green light that represented where he’d come from looked far, far away. Amazed at first that he’d survived a jump like that, he soon began to grin as a new sense of power and elation filled his being. He laughed. What an incredible thing! “Navi, that was awesome! Wow!”

She said nothing for several long minutes, apparently allowing him to enjoy his new-found pleasure. “You’re almost done with your task, Link,” she said then, her tone somewhat less strident, almost gentle. “You must start moving again.”

He agreed and stood. As he looked around at this new environment, he noticed several things: first were the vines growing up the insides of the shaft through which he’d fallen, and which would give him access to the main chamber once he was ready to leave. Of course, he should probably get rid of the Gold ‘tulla rotating there first…dang. Second, a strange protrusion rose from the ground a few feet away that he couldn’t explain. Basically square, it was almost like a topless pyramid, and seemed to be made of some kind of metal. Interesting.

This new part of the Tree’s interior didn’t seem too threatening, and he was ready to start exploring again, until he heard something that stopped him in his tracks. Scratching, and not from the ‘tulla on the vines. The sound was coming from somewhere behind him. “There’s a spider-thing behind me, isn’t there,” he stated aloud.

“Yes, Link! Go kill it!”

_Or I could feed you to it, and maybe bribe it into leaving me alone…_ “How?”

“It’s a Gold Skulltula, Link. You know how to kill them.” He turned. “Huh. Okay, I can get it with my sling-shot, but…it’s on metal bars – is that a drainage tunnel?”

“Yes, Link. After you kill it, jump at the bars to get the medallion!”

And since that will probably knock me out, falling into the water ought to revive me so I don’t drown, he told himself, glum. “Thank you, Navi.” He took out the sling-shot, fitted a deku seed into it, and took aim.

Zing! Whack! The ‘tula glowed purple, a strange phenomenon he’d noticed the first time he’d killed one. This meant it wasn’t dead yet, and if he didn’t hit it again soon, it would revive. Zing! Whack! With a small poofing sound, the creature began folding in on itself, its transformation taking only a second or two. Link didn’t understand why it didn’t simply fall into the water, but for some reason – magic, maybe? – it remained suspended half-way up the bars covering the tunnel, explaining Navi’s instruction to hurl himself at the bars.

“Jump, Link!”

“I’m beginning to feel like your pet, Navi,” he grumped under his breath. He went to the edge and calculated the distance between where he stood and the medallion. A moment later, he backed up a few feet, then ran forward and leaped –

As he broke the surface of the water, he raised his left hand to show Navi that he held the medallion.

“Quick, Link! Get up here and step on this!”

_Or I could step on you, and go home._ He clambered out and eyed the metallic protrusion over which the fairy was hovering. It looked pretty unmovable. Still – raising one leg, he brought his foot down hard on its top, and to his surprise, it sank into the ground. Somewhere to his left he heard a loud click. The space grew brighter, and he could see a large torch stand which now burned at the top with a steady flame.

In this new illumination, he could also see something on the other side of a smaller stretch of water between where he was and another, similar platform-like area. What looked like an opening of some kind stood at the far end, covered by more of the white webbing. How interesting! “I wonder…Navi, would that web burn away if touched by flame?” He nodded at the opening.

“Yes, Link. Do you know how to bring fire to the web?”

He frowned. There were no hand-torches lying about anywhere that he could see, yet that was what he’d need in order to – aha! “What about the Deku sticks I’ve collected from those plant things?”

“You’re very smart, Link.”

He smiled and removed one from the scabbard (to his surprise, he’d been able to fit the Sword in with them quite easily, after all), and took a step toward the torch stand.

“Hiss!”

He groaned. Those plants were getting on his nerves in a big way. “Die!” he shouted, grabbing the Sword and slashing furiously at the nasty flower.

It died; he left the Deku Nut where it was – he had no more room in his bag for it – and approached the torch stand. The flame billowed far over his head, but the stick was long enough to reach. He touched its tip to the fire.

“Hurry, Link! The stick burns quickly!”

“Oh.” He turned and ran toward the edge, noticing at the last second that there was some kind of sandbar under the water that would enable him to cross to the other side without getting immersed, extinguishing the flaming stick. He jumped in, sloshing as quickly as he could to the other bit of dry land, and ran to the opening. He reached it, igniting the web seconds before the stick burned down to nothing in his hand. A door was there, of the same configuration as the ones on the upper levels. Hmmm.

“You didn’t open the chest, Link!”

A chest that looked small and light enough to lift had been near the wall on his left, and he’d ignored it on purpose. These, he’d learned from his experiences on the ramps above, generally held only a single rupee, typically a green one. He had more than enough of those already. “Later, Navi. Any idea what might be on the other side of this?” He nodded toward the door.

She made a non-committal sound which bothered him more than some of her warnings.

“Right.” He went to the door. When he opened it, he stopped, every sense tingling, and raised his shield. Ploomp! Thunk. Ploomp! Thunk! Squeak!

Hitting this Scrub had been easy – his experience with the previous one had definitely come in handy. He raced after the hopping mass of greenery, cornering it with no problem.

“Wait! Mercy, little master!”

“Why do you call me that?”

“You have weapons! I must obey all who have weapons or I could die!”

Link almost laughed. “Fair enough. Now tell me why I should have mercy.”

“Because I can…I can tell you something…oh, dear. I have brothers, you see, but there are three of them where you’re heading, and only one of you, and besides, they’re protecting HER! So is it a betrayal if I tell you how to defeat them?”

“You’re a confusing creature. I can’t answer that. But since I’m not killing _any_ of you, they’ll probably forgive you, or…whatever. I really don’t care.” He hated walking around in wet clothes and it was making him a little grouchy.

“Oh, thank you, little master! Now here’s what you do – defeat them the way you defeated me, but in this order: they’ll be in a line, so hit the second, then the third, then the first. Good luck! Bye!”

Before Link could ask if the order began on the right or left, the Deku Scrub had burrowed into the ground, effectively ending the conversation.

“Great.” Now that the confrontation was over, Link looked around the room for the first time. Another door stood in front of him, but was blocked by more of the metal bars. The last time he’d been stopped this way, the bars had retracted as soon as the Scrub went away. Not now. Then again, there was that silver thing over the doorway that looked like a closed eye. “N- ”

“Look, Link! There’s an eye-plate switch over the door!”

_Really? Never would have seen that myself…_ “Thank you, Navi.”

He put away the shield and reached for his sling-shot.

“Shoot it, Link!”

“Navi, I know you mean well, but at this rate, you’ll be advising me when to inhale.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because…never mind. I – never mind.” He took aim. Zing! Clink! Blink! The shot was dead-center, and the eye snapped open. Simultaneously, the bars rose, unblocking the door. “Navi!”

“Yes, Link?”

He smiled. “The door is unblocked, Navi! Look!”

“Very good, Link.”

Even with that teensy voice, she managed to sound condescending, but he chose not to take offense – he’d basically asked for it, after all. “Let’s go.” He went to the door, it slid open, and when he walked through, found himself in a room with a floor that sloped down into a large pool of water. Straight ahead was a wooden beam stretching horizontally across the breadth of the chamber and suspended over a platform that looked for all the world like a square, grassy island.

Unlike a normal island, though, and in addition to being the wrong shape (who ever saw a naturally-occurring piece of land that was a perfect square?), it moved. When he’d come into the chamber, the “island” had been a few feet from the edge of where he stood, but had moved away to the other side of the water. Link would have stepped onto this with the expectation of being brought to the other side except for the long, deadly-looking spikes sticking out of the log all along its length. And since it was rotating only inches from the surface of the moving island, the barbs would have easily shredded him.

“What now?”

“Listen! Dive under the water, Link! I see a switch over there!” She flitted away and hovered, turning bright green, over a spot on his left and about halfway across.

He went down the slope to the edge of the water and peered down. Yep. Another of those topless pyramid metal switches was barely discernible on the floor of the pool. And I was just starting to get dry, he lamented, but said nothing aloud, his expression stoic as he dove in.

The switch was a lot further than he expected, and before he could try pressing it, he ran out of air and had to surface. Gasping and shaking wet hair out of his eyes, he tread water for a few minutes and formulated his next move once the switch was down. It made sense that something would be activated to enable him access to the platform-island without being spiked to death. From where he was, he’d need about four seconds to get back to dry ground, another second to jump onto the platform…

With a huge intake of breath, he dove straight down. This time, with the switch directly under him, he activated it without a problem and bobbed back to the surface to see what was happening.

“Hurry, Link!”

“Not yet.”

“Link!”

He ignored her, counting seconds as he watched the deadly beam of wood being rendered harmless as whatever mechanism the switch had set in motion lowered the level of the water by a couple of feet. The platform, which had been moving this whole time, made it to the other side, and started back. About halfway across, there was a loud click and the water level rose again, bringing the log perilously close once more before the platform reached his side. He’d have to time it exactly right, or dive back into the water.

“Okay. Here we go.” He waited until the platform had begun its next trip across the water. When it was a fraction past the halfway point, he took a deep breath, dove, and re-activated the switch. This time, instead of surfacing, he swam under water to the where it met the slope of ground. The platform reached his side right as he got to the edge, and he jumped on, crouching instinctively all the way across.

The click indicating a rise in the water level occurred when he was already at the other side. He jumped, grabbing for the edge, and pulled himself to safety.

Relieved, he turned… _dang._  A Giant Skull-tulla was leering at him. He leered back and waited for the stupid thing to turn its vulnerable belly toward him. Why did they do that? he wondered, hacking at it, then backing away so it could fall, dead, to the ground. Did they think they were being ferocious or something? Or maybe they thought they could gross out their enemies so bad…naw, that didn’t make sense.

“Link! What are you doing?”

“Thinking, Navi. Thinking.”

“Then think quickly, Link – we have to keep going!”

He nodded, but then stopped – something in her tiny voice wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as it normally sounded, and he had to wonder why. “Is everything okay, Navi?”

“Of course! You…you must learn how to move those large blocks.”

“What large blocks?”

She flew to what he’d assumed was a part of the tree’s interior construction – a huge block of what appeared to be dirty cork with a crescent moon inscribed on the side. In fact, he’d noticed one exactly like it against one of the walls in the chamber where he’d landed after plunging through the web.

“What does it do?”

“It moves.”

“Yes, Navi, you told me that. But why?”

“So you can reach things.”

“Oh.” _What?_ He nodded and approached the object. As he did, he saw it sat at the far end of a kind of channel dug into the ground. “I move it along here?” He pointed at the sunken path in front of the block.

“Yes, Link. You need to get on top of the wall here.”

“Ah.” Now he understood. If he could pull the block along its channel, it would give him access to the opening higher up.

“Stand by it and pull. Then, when it stops again, pull yourself up.”

The instructions were clear enough, but where was her enthusiasm? What was wrong? “Thank you, Navi.”

He got into the shallow channel, approached the block, and dug his fingers into it surprisingly soft surface. To his satisfaction, it moved easily, sliding along almost as if the bottom had been oiled. At the end of the channel, he stepped up, hauling the block the rest of the way, and jumped up onto its top. “There’s another door up here.”

“Yes, Link. You must open it.”

The boy bit down on some pretty heavy sarcasm and went forward. As he did, her continued lack of exuberance registered, and he frowned. He realized suddenly that she’d actually sounded afraid. What was in here that was so…so frightening? Only one way to find out. He squared his shoulders and when the door slid open, he strode inside.


	6. Chapter 6

Another circular chamber. To the left, one of the taller plants that became a Deku stick. Straight ahead, one of the smaller, more vicious ones. A lit torch stand, and two unlit torches. The door through which he’d entered, and another to his right, both blocked by metal bars. Okay. That was it?

None of what Link was seeing explained Navi’s fearful behavior. Without waiting for her to start telling him the obvious, he ran ahead and hacked at the snarling, hissing plant, killed it, then went after the taller one. Dead. Took the Deku stick. Lit it from the big torch and lit the other two. Bars gone. Catching his breath, Link raised an eyebrow at Navi who was sparkling in front of him, her usual blue looking darker somehow. “What’s beyond that door?” He nodded at the other exit.

“Y-you should be very careful when you go in there, Link.”

“Why?”

“Enemies are everywhere – hadn’t you noticed?”

“Yes, Navi. But why do you seem more upset about it now?”

She didn’t answer his question, just flitted to the door and told him to hurry.

He shrugged. “Fine.” As soon as he was on the other side, he saw a short, upward-sloping path, and dangling from the arched opening at its terminus was a Giant Skull-tulla. Its vulnerable belly was facing him, so he zapped it quickly with a couple of Deku seeds and it clattered to the ground, leaving a green rupee that he didn’t want. Normally, he would have gone forward to explore the room beyond, but something was very different here. Something that was making his skin tingle. What was it –

“Spider!” Navi whispered, nearly causing Link to jump out of his skin. “Not like the others! Look at the ceiling! See those things hanging there?”

Navi hadn’t moved any closer, either, so he had to assume she was referring to the dark masses that didn’t look like stone bulging from the ceiling. To make matters worse, the things were pulsing. He nodded, afraid to make too much sound.

“Shoot them down, Link, before they break open!” Her whisper was barely audible.

“What’s in them?” he whispered back, risking detection by the other thing he’d just noticed clinging to the ceiling – a thick-bodied, dark brown spider with, of all things, one eye.

“Babies. _Her_ babies. And they’re as deadly as she – and very, very fast.”

Who, exactly, was “her?” The Scrub had mentioned a “her” as well. Surely not the one on the ceiling – the almost reverential way in which the leafy creature had spoken of “her” made him think that had to be a much more powerful being than the almost puny thing overhead.

“Destroy them or they’ll attack all at once!”

“Huh? Oh.” Gulp. He’d think about the other possibilities later…Had he reminded himself lately how much he hated spiders? After a slow inhale, Link raised his sling-shot, took aim, and – Zing! Plock! He missed! How had he missed? True, the chamber was extremely murky, but still - !

He raised the sling-shot again, correcting his aim slightly to the left. Zing! Slooch! Yuk. The sound of his Deku seed hitting the spider-pod was wet and unpleasant. Greenish liquid spurted out of the pod, the remains, no doubt, of the baby spider. Ew! Suddenly, the cyclops-arachnid turned its red eye directly toward him and began to move forward along the ceiling. That, he knew, wasn’t a good thing, and he shot rapidly at the remaining pods. Unfortunately, before he could hit the last one, it fell, broke open, and a smaller version of the strange-looking spider ran toward him. Like the other one rushing at him, it had only one eye in the middle of its head, was round, and had thick legs.

When it was almost on top of him, Navi zoomed close to his ear and shrieked, “Your sword, Link!”

He had no time for a snide comeback this time. The Kokiri Treasure flashed in his hand as he swung at the creature, yelling with a combination of terror and ferocity. It took more than one or two strikes to dispatch this version, small as it was, and he nearly got eaten half-way through the fight by the larger one which had jumped down from the ceiling, but in the end, he somehow prevailed, and the two beasts lay dead at his feet.

“Link, you’re hurt!”

Bent forward, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, he realized she was right. One of the stupid things had managed to slash him with its fangs. He began to feel faint. Grass…he needed grass… He stumbled to the nearest patch and grabbed a handful, laying it quickly over the ugly gouges in his left arm. It helped some, but he still didn’t feel right, so he plucked a few more blades and chewed on them. Ah. That was better. Not great, but better.

“Cut some of this,” Navi suggested, hovering over another plant.

When he did, instead of Deku seeds, something red tumbled out. It was fruit of some kind that almost looked like a heart. “What’s this?”

“Magic, Link. A special magic fruit that restores all damage, even from poison.”

“I was poisoned?”

“Yes – that’s what they do – they inject you with poison so you can’t fight any more, and then they eat you.”

“Inject…”

“You were lucky. It only scratched you, so the poison didn’t go all the way into your blood.”

“Lucky…right.” He picked up the berry-sized fruit and popped it into his mouth. Immediately, he felt a surge of strength course through his being. “Wow!”

“All right – let’s go, Link.”

“Go where?”

“Burn that web over there.” She flew toward the other end of the room where a web covered some kind of sloping path like the one on which he’d entered.

“What about this one?” He’d noticed another web to his left, this one blocking a huge opening beyond which he could hear the hissing of one of his favorite plants.

“Later, Link. This way for now.”

He nodded and took out a Deku stick, lighting it at the torch stand nearby. When the web was gone, he saw that the small path ended at a square opening in the wall, one that looked oddly like the one in Wado’s training area. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled through. The tunnel wasn’t very long, and when he emerged, he realized he was back in the chamber where he’d fallen through the shaft. Only now, he saw, he was on the higher ground, in the middle of which was another circular opening covered by a web.

Since there was nothing from which to jump and break through it, he had to – ah, exactly! A lit torch stood close. “Wait…” What had seemed like a logical next step proved to be an impossibility. The torch was raised, and not even the tip of a Deku stick, held all the way at arm’s length, could reach the flame. Any second now, he told himself, Navi will announce the obvious solution. Any second now…any…huh? What was she doing? Filing her fingernails?

On the verge of asking her why she wasn’t talking to him, he suddenly realized what he’d been leaning against while having this discussion with himself. A block. He frowned, climbed on top, and peered over the opposite edge. Yup, another channel, but this one ended at the lip of the plateau. So if he pushed the block, it would probably fall into the water…aha! Access to the torch he could reach and a way back up to this higher ground! Link jumped down, got behind the block, and began to push. A moment later, it slid off the edge and splashed into the water. He hopped onto its top, then leaped, landing near the lower dry ground. Pulling out a Deku stick, he quickly obtained some fire, ran back and managed to climb up the block without dropping the stick. He ran to the circular opening, lowered the stick, and the flames burned away the web.

_And I did it all without Navi’s help. Imagine that._ He looked around, wondering at her continued silence.

“You’d better jump now,” she said by his left ear, sounding far too unhappy to be encouraging.

“What’s down there, Navi? Why are you so afraid?”

“Those baby spiders – one almost killed you, Link. But down there, you’ll find the creature that’s at the heart of the curse, the creature that’s poisoning this Tree and filling it with evil things – their mother.”

“The baby…how big _is_ she, Navi?”

“Bigger than your tree-cottage. Her name is Gohma.”

He boggled. How could any animal, especially a bug, be that big? Not that he thought for a moment that Navi was lying to him. Still…“That’s what I have to destroy to break the curse?”

“Yes, Link. And I…”

“What is it?”

“I’ve come to like you, Link, and I don’t want you to die.” She uttered a miniscule sob, shocking him deeply.

“You care that much?”

A diminutive sniff tickled his ear, but she didn’t speak.

“Oh, Navi. Look, I’ll be all right. Why else would the Great Deku Tree ask me to do this?” Her light seemed to grow a tiny bit brighter. “Come on – I’d better get going.” He peered over the edge. “It doesn’t look like it’s as deep as the other shaft.” He hoped the water down there _was_ , however.

With a long, slow breath, he filled his lungs to capacity, held it, and jumped. The water on this level was warmer – not that it mattered. It was still water, and he was once more reminded how much he disliked walking around in wet clothes. After swimming to the shallow end, he stood and walked up onto the dry area.

“Ack!” A Deku nut had missed his head by a whisker and he yanked the shield from his back.

Ploomp! “Ouch!” This one had found his left side, pushing him back a few inches. Ploomp! “Hey!” As the last Scrub had warned, there were three of them firing at him. He crouched, moving his shield around to try and anticipate which one would shoot next. What had that Scrub told him about the order in which to get them?

“The one in the middle must be hit first!” Navi hissed at him.

“Right!” He moved his shield again, this time deflecting a Deku nut coming from the left. It flew between two of the Scrubs, missing both cleanly. “Dang.” Ploomp! Thunk! Squeak! Drat – wrong Scrub!

This went on for several minutes, until he managed to get the middle Scrub, which began hopping around. He ignored it, and went for the one on the right. Ploomp! Thunk! Squeak! Unfortunately, this was the wrong one, and the middle Scrub returned to its spot where it resumed firing Nuts at the beleaguered boy.

Okay, thought Link, middle, left and right. Got it. And he did. A few minutes later, all three were hopping around, squeaking and glaring at him.

“How did you know the way to stop us?” demanded one of them when he got near it.

“I’m a great guesser. What are you doing?”

“We’re guarding the Queen!”

“Shut up, brother!”

“We’re all doomed!”

Link nearly laughed. But then he remembered Navi’s description of this Queen, and all amusement fled. “What are you talking about?” he demanded instead, drawing his sword.

“Oh! Oh, no! Little master, please don’t hurt us!” one of them wailed – at this point, since they were identical, he had no way to tell which one this was.

“Tell me more about the Queen – how do I defeat her?” That seemed to be a good question.

“Oh, dear, oh, dear, we can’t betray her!”

“Really?” Link shook his head. “If you do, and I defeat her, what can she do to you when she’s dead? If I fail, she’ll never know, so what are you getting so upset about?”

The Scrubs stopped hopping and gave him identical considering stares.

“He has a point,” said one finally.

“He’s not very big, and she’ll probably eat him,” said another.

“He’s only a fairy-boy, after all, and they aren’t very strong,” said the third.

“He’s standing right here and can hear you,” said Link, exasperated.

They blinked, and then one took a hop closer. “She’ll drop down in front of you,” it said in a half-whisper, “and her eye will be open and exposed. Strike it! Strike at her hard, right in the eye! If it doesn’t kill her right away, she’ll climb to the ceiling again and try to drop her offspring on you. Kill them quickly and she’ll come back. Keep hitting her eye!”

“She isn’t too smart, is she.”

“No, little master, just very, very big and very, very strong, and very, very poisonous, and very, very ev- ”

“I get it. Thanks. Please go away, now.”

Giving him a last, considering stare, the Scrubs spun about and burrowed into the ground, leaving him alone and facing another door. Possibly the last door he’d ever enter.


	7. Chapter 7

Darkness was the first quality that set this chamber apart from all the others. Not pitch-dark, but creepy-dark. Link could sense the vast size of the space before him more than see it. He stayed near the door which shut with the deep resonance of something extraordinarily heavy. Navi’s light, a subdued blue, barely made any difference, but he knew that whatever was in the chamber would be able to detect it immediately, and he wished he could tuck her into his tunic or something to hide her spark.

He took a step forward and looked up – his experience with Gohma’s offspring made him sure their mother would be waiting on the ceiling, too. At first, he could see absolutely nothing, but then…a movement, a rustling sound…there. Looking like a dull red star with a cross-shaped green center, the creature’s single eye stared around, eventually turning its focus on him. An eye, he could tell, that was nearly as large as his entire body. The eyeball seemed to do a weird double-take, then zeroed in on the very small boy with his blue fairy – Link almost stopped breathing. Waited. And then – Slam!

The spider leaped straight down from the ceiling, landing with the same unyielding crash as the stone-clad door behind him. Without hesitation, it rushed him, giving him almost no time to react. Link yelled and stepped forward to meet it, sling-shot drawn, some instinct he could never have explained fueling his determination to attack this monstrosity before it could launch one of its own. Perhaps his actions perplexed the arachnid – surely, no prey had ever run toward her before – because she paused, and that was all Link needed. He shot at the eye, and she stopped dead, as if frozen in her tracks.

Shoving the sling-shot into his belt, Link drew is sword and began attacking the eye, jabbing, sliding his blade across its surface, and jabbing again, over and over. The creature suddenly shrieked, the sound so loud it nearly knocked the boy to the ground, and retreated.

“Come back here, you big coward!” Link shouted, running after her.

Gohma reached the far wall with breathtaking speed and climbed, finally stopping somewhere on the ceiling, hiding her eye from further assault. Angry and more frightened than he’d ever been in his life, Link searched the ceiling, his sling-shot out again and aimed upward. Where had she gone? A soft thud sounded beside him, followed by another, then another.

“Her children!” Navi screamed, her tiny voice sounding as terrified as Link felt.

“Oh, no!” He looked around and to his mounting horror, saw a small army of the thick-legged spiders racing toward him. He was surrounded, and all he could do was shoot at the first ones to reach him, then start slashing at the rest after pulling out the sword so swiftly, he had no time to put the othe weapon away. He seemed to be doing all right, until one of them bit him on the ankle. Immediately, he began to feel weaker, but kept slashing.

“Link! Get away from them!”

Good idea, he thought, groggy, and turned, stepping on one in his flight toward the nearest wall.

“Fruit, Link! Cut a plant and get some fruit!”

“Huh?”

She flew to the nearest clump of grass, illuminating it for him with her small light.

“I – ouch!” Another spider-child had reached him, burying its needle-sharp fangs in almost the same spot as the first. Link fell to one knee, and the creature immediately bit his hand. “Nav…”

“Pull on the blades, Link! Eat one!”

He managed put the sling-shot away, grabbing grass with his uninjured hand, which gave him enough energy to stand once more. Slashing weakly at the spiderlings, he killed one while managing to slice into the plant at the same time. A heart-shaped fruit tumbled out, he grabbed it, and shoved it into his mouth.

“Now run, Link!” the fairy screamed.

He obeyed, feeling himself grow stronger, but still not quite right. Another clump of grasses was right in front of him now, and he quickly cut into them, retrieved two more pieces of fruit, and ate them. That did it, and not a second too soon – Gohma, sensing the boy’s failing strength, had dropped from the ceiling once more, shaking the ground with her landing.

Strategy. Wado had told him something about strategy, how it sometimes was as essential as good swordsmanship. He swallowed hard, but kept his back to the monstrosity until it was almost upon him. When he felt its heat against his back, he gripped the sword with both hands and spun towards it.

“Die!” he shouted as the blade found its mark – plainly, Gohma had been taken by surprise. He continued to hack and stab, slash and slice, whacking at the eye with such a flurry of terror-fueled energy that the spider was unable to get away. She suddenly emitted an ear-splitting screech and reared up on her four back legs, her eyeball a dripping ruin.

Link backed away, breathing hard. He’d been so engrossed in the battle, he hadn’t felt the multitude of stinging bites being administered by the remaining spiderlings. Now, the pain beginning to register, he nearly collapsed. Above him, Gohma thrashed, her massive head swinging from side to side, her front four legs flailing.

“She’s dying, Link!”

So am I, Navi…

Another moment, and it was over. The armored arachnid, the nightmare injecting its cursed poison into the very roots of the Great Deku Tree, fell to the ground and lay still, dead, defeated by a ten-year-old boy. Around her, the spiderlings faded and disappeared, and then her entire being disintegrated, falling into blackened chunks, while the center of where she’d been was engulfed in a strange blue light. At its center, something red sparkled.

“Link! You must go into the blue light!”

He could barely move – what was she talking about? Light?

For the first time, Navi seemed to realize how badly injured the boy was. “No, Link! Don’t give in to the poison! Go into the blue light and take what you find there into yourself!”

Enough of his mind was still functioning to tell him she was right – if he didn’t do as she said, he would die, and soon, too. Mustering all the strength he had left, he dragged himself through the debris that had once been Gohma, and with his final ounce of energy, flung himself into the center of the brilliance. He landed on something even brighter, something that had no actual substance, yet was unmistakably there. As he fell, he could feel it pass through his tunic, the skin beneath it, and finally into his very heart.

A sense of euphoria filled him; he felt like he was floating…he looked down and – he was floating! Somehow, he'd been encased in a giant blue diamond made of light, and it was carrying him out of this dark place, up through the tree, and then… The Meadow. He was in the Meadow. The light placed him gently on the ground, on his feet, facing the Great Deku Tree. Then it was gone.

“Link, you did it! You did it! And you lived!”

Still somewhat dazed, although feeling better than he had in his entire life, he gave Navi a vague kind of smile and put away the Sword.

“Well done, Link!” intoned a voice so vast it could only have come from the Deku Tree.

“Thank you.”

“I knew thou wouldst be able to carry out my wishes, dear boy,” the Tree continued, but now it sounded…old. Worn out. “Please – I have yet more to tell. Wouldst thou listen?”

“Y-yes! Of course, Great Deku Tree!”

“Ah, then listen carefully, boy. This dreadful curse was cast upon me by a wicked man, a man of the desert. Evil he is, and he uses is vile, sorcerous powers in his unending search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule.”

The Sacred Realm? Link thought he’d heard of it once, a very long time ago, but –

“It is in that Sacred Realm, you see, that one shall find the divine relic, the Triforce,” the Tree added, as if knowing Link's thoughts.

The Triforce! Link nodded. Of course he knew of the Triforce – everyone did.

The Tree had paused, its voice sounding weaker, but then it went on in a more energetic tone, “The Triforce, as surely you know, contains the essence of the Three Golden Goddesses. Hast thou heard this ancient tale of Hyrule’s beginnings, Link?”

“Not all of it.” His own voice sounded small, but the Tree apparently could hear him.

“Then I shall recount it to you. Sit, Link, and learn.”

The boy nodded and lowered himself to the soft grass and the Tree spoke again, its voice resonant, rich. “Before time began, in fact, before either spirits or even life itself existed, the Three Golden Goddesses descended upon the chaos that had once been Hyrule. These were Din, the Goddess of Power; Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom; and Farore, the Goddess of Courage.

“With her strong, flaming arms, Din cultivated the land, creating the red earth. Wisdom was poured out upon the earth by Nayru, which gave the spirit of law to the world. Then, with her rich soul, Farore produced all forms of life, those that would uphold the law.

“When their labors were complete, the Three departed for the heavens from whence they had come. At the point where they left the world, the Goddesses placed three golden Triangles, which have become the basis of our world’ providence. The resting place of these Sacred Triangles became known as the Sacred Realm.

“Link, thou must never allow that man of the desert, the evil man in black, to lay his hands on the Triforce! With his evil heart, he must not be permitted to enter the Sacred Realm! It was he who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power, and now, because of that curse, my end is nigh. You may have broken the curse itself through your valiant efforts, but I knew I was doomed before you started. I will pass away soon, Link, but do not grieve for me. I have been able to tell you of these important matters, of Hyrule’s final hope.

“Link…you must go to Hyrule Castle where…where thou wilt surely meet the Princess of Destiny. Please, Link…go, and take with you this stone. It was this, the Kokiri Emerald, that the evil man wanted so much that he cast the curse upon me for refusing to give it to him.”

Something fell from the tree, but it fell slowly, and sparkled green and gold. Navi gave Link a nudge and told him to catch it, so he got up and stood under the object as it made its way downward, revolving and catching the day’s dim light. He raised his arms, hands open, and a moment later, they held the most beautiful gem the boy had ever seen.

The Kokiri Emerald: crystal clear, larger than any gem like it, and wrapped around it was a lovely curve of polished gold.

Link stared at it in awe, and probably would have done so for a long time had Navi not whispered that he should put it away and listen – the Deku Tree was speaking again.

“The…future depends on thee, Link…thou hast the courage needed…Navi! Navi, help Link to carry out my will…I entreat ye, Navi…Link…Good..bye…” The Great Deku Tree fell silent.

Stunned by this swift turn of events, Link could only watch as what looked like a shadow passed over the gigantic creature, and its leaves turned from vibrant green to rust. One leaf fluttered to the ground. The single leaf became a fluttering handful, which soon turned into a veritable torrent of dead foliage, exposing huge limbs to a grey sky.

The Great Deku Tree, the Protector and Life-Giver of the forest, was gone. In the thick silence of the dreadful event, Link got to his feet, deeply sorrowful, Navi silent by his left shoulder, and they left the Meadow. There was nothing more to say.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone seemed to have a connection with the Great Deku Tree that he didn’t. How else to explain that Mido knew what had happened? As far as Link was aware, no one had been in the Meadow except him and Navi. Yet as soon as he got to the opening back into Kokiri Village, Mido blocked him, hands on his hips, his complexion red with fury.

“What did you do?” he demanded, thrusting his face closer to Link’s. “You killed the Great Deku Tree – how could you!”

_What?!_ “No I didn’t - ”

“Don’t lie, Link! You’re the only one who was there, so tell me – who else could have done it, eh? Who? Who?”

All his life Link had been dealing with Mido’s senseless physical and verbal attacks, with his bullying. As far back as he could remember, the nasty little bugger had convinced others to pick on him, too, and he’d been the center of a lot of very mean-spirited treatment, mostly instigated by this red-haired pain-in-the-backside blocking his path. And right now, Link was devastated by the Tree’s death, exhausted from his battles, and quite frankly, still pretty freaked out by all those spiders and killer plants, and…

His eyes narrowing with an expression that neither Mido nor any other Kokiri had ever seen on Link’s face before, the boy stood straighter and slowly drew the Kokiri Sword from its scabbard. “Listen carefully, Mido,” he said in a harsh whisper, “I did not kill the Great Deku Tree. He was cursed. I’m more upset than you can possibly understand or know, and if you don’t get the hell out of my way, I’m going to hurt you. Do you understand _that?_ ”

Mido had gone dead white and started taking backward steps away from the boy who was suddenly a stranger – and a very dangerous one, too. “S-sure, Link, uh, uh…s-s-sorry…” He turned and ran off.

“Creep.”

“Yes, Navi, he is.”

“Now what, Link? We need to find Hyrule Castle.”

Link stood still for a few moments, but then he began walking forward, sheathing the Sword as he went. “I know, Navi. But not today. It’s almost nightfall. I’m more tired thank I've ever been in my life, I'm thirsty and hungry, and extremely unhappy. I want to go home and eat, and then I need to sleep for a while, okay? I promise we’ll start out early tomorrow morning.”

Something in his tone had obviously touched her, because her reply sounded almost motherly. “You’re right, Link. You’ve earned a good night’s rest. I won’t bother you any more today.”

He sighed. “You don’t bother me, Navi. Well, not most of the time. Besides, I guess it’s kind of nice to have a fairy with me. I don’t feel so…so alone. Thank you.”

The tiniest of sounds escaped the fairy, a sound that could only be a small sob. If Link heard, he didn’t react to it, but continued on his way, stopping only long enough to scoop some water from the stream and slake his thirst, then once more to relieve himself behind some shrubs. When he got home, he removed his tunic, boots and hat, washed himself, put on a fresh tunic used for sleeping, and grabbed the bowl of fruit and nuts from the table. He sat on the bed to eat, and when he was done, laid the bowl on the floor, snuggled down under his covers, and fell into a profound slumber.

He’d said nothing, and true to her word, Navi kept her own silence. His sleep was deep and blissfully free of the nightmares, although a voice did break through at some point, one that said, “He really is just a little boy, but a very brave one.”

That’s nice, he thought, turning over. Wonder who they’re talking about…

The morning was fragrant and as bright as it ever got in the Village, normal qualities which always, as now, wakened the boy. This day was no different. At least not until he sat up, saw Navi, and remembered everything that had gone on the day before. He got out of bed slowly, realizing his life had begun to change in ways he’d never imagined it could. He also had a strong feeling it would never go back to the way it used to be…and he didn’t mind one bit.

“Do you think we’ll be away for very long?” he asked over his shoulder, picking up his wash basin from its place by the wall.

“Yes, Link.”

Nodding, he went to the window. After looking out to make sure no one was underneath it, he dumped the water. “Probably shouldn’t bother filling this up again, then,” he muttered. He gathered all the food that remained in his cupboard, packing it carefully into the small satchel he’d used the previous day.

The scabbard, its Sword, and three Deku sticks lay across the table; after tying the satchel to his belt and jamming the sling-shot in beside it, he strapped on the Sword, re-attached his bag of rupees, and without another glance at the room, headed for the door, picking up the shield where he’d leaned it against the wall.

“Do you need to tell anyone you’re leaving?”

“Why? No one will care.” He went outside and stared around. A few Kokiri were out, mostly either tending their gardens or shaking out rugs and window hangings. All of them were adults, none of them of any interest to him. The couple who had raised him no longer lived nearby, and nobody had bothered to tell him where they’d gone.

“What about that girl?”

He knew immediately who she meant. “Saria. Yeah, well, I don’t see her anywhere.”

“You could go to her house.”

Link started down the ladder. “Don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because, Navi.” He jumped the final few feet to the ground and shrugged the scabbard straighter. “She’s the only one who ever mattered, and I don’t think I can handle saying good-bye to her.”

Navi said nothing more about it. “Hyrule Castle,” she explained instead, “is on one side of Hyrule Field. We need to head west once we leave the forest, Link.”

He nodded, walking toward a huge opening in the trees at the far end of the village, not too far beyond the training ground and the home of The Know-It-All Brothers. Someone was standing in the path near the upward slope toward the training ground, a pretty girl named Fado who seemed to think he was heroic for having crossed the wooden bridge that led to a lookout point in the village. Like Link, she had golden hair, but unlike Saria, she didn’t seem to have much of a personality. He really hoped she wasn’t there to accuse him of killing the Great Deku Tree.

“Good morning!” she chirped at him when he was close enough.

“Morning, Fado.”

“Where are you going so early?”

He shrugged. “What are you doing here on the path so early?”

“Nothing. Waiting. For Grog. He likes to wander around the Lost Woods too much. I’m trying to keep him in the village so I invited him to join me for a picnic later. I don’t want him to become Stalfos. That will happen, you know, if you wander too much. Like Grog does. Stalfos. Terrible fate.”

“Er, yeah. It…um, okay. Have a nice picnic.” He took off, thinking if he had to listen to her much longer, he’d get dizzy and fall down.

The opening in the trees was the only way out of Kokiri Village, and Link couldn’t remember ever having seen anyone use it. He and all the children had been endlessly curious about it, sometimes making up stories about what could be found there. None of the adults had told them anything concrete, only that a Kokiri could never leave the forest, and that going through there would mean certain death. The lure of the forbidden had drawn a number of them to the opening, and for no logical reason, a Kokiri child could always be found pacing in front of it, as if on patrol.

Today, a boy with orange hair named Diro was there. He was small for his age, at least for a Kokiri, but full of energy and mischief most of the time. As Link approached, Diro stopped and put his hands on his hips.

“Where are you off to, Link? I’m keeping watch here today.”

“That’s not…I …” He frowned. The last thing he felt like doing was giving an explanation of his plans. He looked through the opening, but as usual could see nothing beyond the first few yards.

“You aren’t going to try leaving here, are you?”

Link took a deep breath. “Yes, Diro. I am. Good-bye.”

“Wait! You can’t do that! A Kokiri will die if he leaves the forest!”

“Maybe not. I was told to do this by…by someone who never would have meant me any harm.” _Except to fight off a few gigantic spiders…_

Diro pursed his lips, putting his head to one side. “Well, if anyone can survive, I guess it would be you, Link. But come back if you can, and tell me what you saw?”

Now Link smiled. The little guy had rarely joined the others in taunting or bullying him. “Sure, Diro. I’ll do that.”

“Thanks! Good luck, Link!” He stepped aside, even though he hadn’t been blocking the bigger boy.

Link nodded, turned to the opening and murmured, “Okay, Navi. Here we go.” As he walked, he found that the path somehow stayed bright enough for him to see it, which surprised him. Based on his view from the village, this part of the pathway should have been shrouded in shadows. The trees here were so thick, they met overhead, but the leaves were tiny and allowed just enough light to filter down to make travel possible. Only a few minutes of walking brought him to a wooden plank bridge slung over a narrow gorge. He started across –

“Link!”

Startled, he turned around and saw Saria – what was she doing out here? He walked back toward her, confused and slightly upset. Looked like he’d have to say good-bye after all.

“Oh, Link, you’re going out into the world, aren’t you…I knew you would leave the forest some day.”

“You did? How?”

“Because you’re different from me and my friends.”

She’d noticed it, too, then. “I suppose I am, but I wonder why? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing. And it’s okay that you are different, because we’ll still be friends forever – won’t we?”

He nodded, uncomfortable. There had never been a question in his own mind about his friendship with Saria, but the way she said it made him think there was more involved, at least to her. “Yes, we’ll be friends forever, Saria. Really.”

She gave him a sweet smile and took something from a pocket. “Here. I want you to have this.” It was her ocarina.

He was utterly shocked. This fairy ocarina was her favorite possession, and yet she was willing to give it to him? How come? Did she know he’d secretly wanted one? That he’d watched oh, so closely when she played it to see exactly how it was done? That the earthy sounds of the small instrument calmed and soothed his heart like nothing else could?

“Please take good care of it,” she was saying, taking his hand and laying the ocarina into his palm.

“Huh?” He looked down at it, then back at her. “Saria - ”

“Shh! It’s yours now. I’m going to buy another, remember?”

“Oh. Right.” He raised the ocarina to see it better in the half-light and realized its smooth, rounded surface felt natural in his hand, like it had always belonged there. When he looked back at Saria to thank her, he noticed a tear had spilled from one eye and was making its way slowly down her cheek. He gulped back a sudden wave of emotion, at a complete loss with no idea how to react, what to say. So he offered her a sad if somewhat frantic smile, took a step back, then another, and another…and fled, hoping she’d forgive his abrupt, wordless departure.

Too many things were happening at once, too much to think about. He was leaving the only home he’d ever known, the only people he’d ever known. He’d been told he had a destiny that he honestly doubted he could ever fulfill. Within a few short days he’d gone from being an unpopular, awkward little boy to being a little boy who could slay gigantic, deadly creatures, could wield a sword with surprising skill, and had a fairy companion to help him. In addition the fact that he was being allowed to leave the Kokiri Forest with its people’s greatest treasure, he also had in his pouch the biggest emerald he’d ever seen, and which had some kind of great significance…why? It was all too much.

So Link ran, pushing away thoughts like the bushy branches obstructing his path, concentrating on nothing in particular except perhaps not tripping over something. The need to run was suddenly the most important motivation in his life, and run he did. Fast. At one point, he found his vision somewhat obscured by inexplicable tears, but he managed to blink them all away in the end and kept running.

He’d been a simple child of the forest until the morning he’d awoken to find the diminutive Navi fluttering in front of his eyes. A boy with nothing special to do, nothing exciting to anticipate in his future. A little boy who was different, disproportionate, uniquely Link. But once he left the forest’s protection, he’d become something else. Certainly no longer one of the forest’s own. No, he would instead, and perhaps, become the person he was supposed to be all along.

Whoever that was.

END OF BOOK I


End file.
